Cessna 177RG accident near Lake Havasu City, AZ
On September 12, 2021, a Cessna 177RG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lake Havasu City, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 12, 2021
- Place
- Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.558°N, 114.350°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210913103838
Official records · WPR21FA340
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 12, 2021, about 1609 mountain standard time, a Cessna 177RG, N2085Q, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lake Havasu Airport, Lake Havasu, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was planning to make a cross-country flight to Reno, Nevada, in the days after the accident, and the purpose of the accident flight was to refuel for the flight to Reno. The airplane was based at Eagle Airpark, Bullhead City, Arizona, and the pilot performed maintenance there earlier in the day, including replacing the bushings on the nosewheel because the airplane had been experiencing a vibration during takeoff and landing. The airplane departed about 1530 and landed at Lake Havasu about 1545. The pilot then purchased 24.8 gallons of fuel at the self-serve fuel tank. According to his wife, the pilot had planned to top off the fuel tanks to full. Video and audio recordings and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that the pilot taxied the airplane to runway 14, performed a run-up, and departed about 1608. Witnesses reported that the airplane traveled down the runway at a slow groundspeed and noted that the engine sounded abnormal, as if it were producing partial power. The airplane veered to the right of the centerline and ascended 100 to 150 ft above ground level (see figure 1). ADS-B data showed that the airplane accelerated down the runway at airspeeds up to 65 knots. Fi
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power during the airplane's initial climb due to wear of internal engine components, which prevented the engine from developing full-rated power and resulted in a loss of altitude.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
